Reminiscent
by HazyCrazy
Summary: Sequel to Refuge. Cedric and Hermione care for each other but are too depressed about the war to do anything about it.


**Reminiscent  
**A songfic to Eskimo Joe's "Smoke"**  
**

_If I keep smoking this cold will never go away  
_

"Stop that, you're causing more harm than good," Hermione Granger chastised her now much closer friend, Cedric Diggory, for lighting up a cigarette; thankfully the first one that morning.

Cedric shivered and shook his head, although quite regretfully. It seemed the more he smoked the colder it became, not only outside as the days grew shorter and November made way for December, but also in his heart, as unusual as it sounded. Hermione had learnt that cigarettes contained the substance nicotine, which was meant to stimulate the brain and generally make you happier, but it had the complete opposite effect on Cedric. Hermione guessed that perhaps magical folk were much more different to Muggles than she had originally thought.

_If I keep talking I know you'll never come and stay_

Hermione explained this to him, but Cedric was hardly listening as he took another drag, blowing into the crisp air, the smoke gravitating towards his companion who coughed and waved it away with her gloved hand.

"Shh, Hermione, I'm thinking." Cedric said finally.

"Humph! You're _always_ thinking," Hermione replied dejectedly and walked away from him to stand closer to the crumbled old building that was the remnants of Peveril Castle. She placed a cold hand against the stone and breathed in deeply, taking in the dusty smell of the fortress and beginning to realise that perhaps if she stopped talking for a while, Cedric might feel persuaded to stay in Castleton a little longer than he had initially planned due to the enveloped silence between them. Cedric was always one to patch things up in his circle of friends, and if one of his friends became aloof all of a sudden he made time to investigate the reason.

_Stand the two up next to the other_

_Don't feel strange to me my lover_

Cedric gently let his half-finished cigarette fall to the ground, stepped on it with his right foot, disposed of it with his wand. He walked over to where Hermione was now leaning against the wall, staring with nonchalance into space.

"Hermione, I…" But words had failed him and he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead instead.

When one stared at the two of them, standing side by side, they noticed a general difference in their temperaments. The tall handsome young man with the dark wavy locks and piercing grey eyes appeared modest albeit subdued (perhaps depressed) due to his sudden addiction to smoking. On his right side stood a dainty young lady, her thick brown hair falling in waves down her back. She too, looked subdued, but there was a defiance and stubbornness about her that was hard to ignore. To an outsider, Cedric and Hermione looked like estranged lovers, but the pair thought otherwise – in fact the opposite.

_All I've got here is books and music_

_I used to have exercise but I outgrew it_

During the warmer autumn days Cedric and Hermione would walk up to Peveril often due to boredom in their own homes. Hermione would bring a couple of books, mostly Muggle ones (_The Faraway Tree_ by Enid Blyton was her favourite) because she currently felt disconnected from the Wizarding world. Occasionally she would find her copy of _Hogwarts, a History_ and reminisce. Cedric, on the other hand, borrowed a Muggle friend's Discman and listened to Muggle music. He quite enjoyed it, although he had no idea who was singing.

They would sit peacefully under any tree that gave reasonable shade at the citadel, and kept to themselves despite Hermione's head often rested on Cedric's shoulder. Both of them sometimes remembered a time when the excitement of Quidditch filled their veins – but unfortunately the novelty had worn off after the war. How could one find such happiness following such torture and misery?

_Say "I'm going home" and you go silent_

_Never know what to do _

_Just say "It's cool"_

_And I'll feel ok_

Hermione melted at the feel of Cedric's chapped lips against her forehead, but this feeling went away when Cedric told her he was heading back home. Hermione knew that to ask if she could come with him was inappropriate, and so bit her tongue.

"Hermione?"

"What?" she inquired impatiently. She didn't want him to leave but at the same time didn't like it when he kept her pining.

"I'm sorry," he whispered genuinely.

"I know."

And then he was gone.

_I feel cold next to the fire_

_It's an old story but I think I like it_

Hermione returned home later that evening with a heavy heart. "_Incendio!_" she said to the hearth, and a warm, crackling fire sprang to life. She made her way to the kitchen where she prepared a hot chocolate. Soon she was comfortably sitting on the sofa, her legs curled up beneath her. She had begun reading another book by Enid Blyton but for some reason she still felt cold. She looked over at the fireplace – it was still ablaze.

For a while she read quietly, the only noises coming from the fire chewing up the wood, the turning of the now browning pages of the book and the slurping of the hot chocolate, which wasn't so hot anymore. She heard a door opening and closing from across the street suddenly, but did not look up as she was too engrossed in the story.

_Spend your days in indecision_

_I got a lot of things on my mind this morning_

Meanwhile Cedric had returned home earlier and busied himself with writing a few letters. First he wrote to his parents, informing them of his whereabouts. Then he wrote to his ex-girlfriend, Cho Chang, who after the war had married fellow Ravenclaw Roger Davies.

_Cho,_

_I received your last letter a few weeks ago. I'm currently staying in a small village in Derbyshire. Don't worry about me too much – the company is fine and I'm still deciding whether to stay here permanently or not._

_I trust Roger is well, and you aren't _too_ hard on him. I also wish you a Merry Christmas (hope it's better than the last) and don't bother sending me anything because owls are still being intercepted, especially those with heavy parcels._

_All the best,_

_Cedric_

He tied both letters to the leg of his eagle owl, Heinrich, and gently stroked one of his speckled wings. Heinrich hooted softly and took out of the open window, Cedric watching him spiral upwards and disappear into the cloudy sky. He missed his parents greatly but it was impossible to see them. Amos had taken his wife, a Muggleborn, to France to get away from all the turmoil and aftermath of war. It had affected his mother more than most. He didn't really long for Cho, if he was honest with himself; she had found someone else and hardly had time to write to him like she used to. And besides, Cedric had fallen out of love with her quite a long time ago, even before the Second War, because his eyes had rested on someone else…

Did he really truthfully love Hermione, or was it a fleeting fascination due to the events of the War and a need for refuge? Cedric knew the right answer and putting on his coat, left the house without locking the door.

Hermione put the book down on the coffee table. She'd had enough of reading and still couldn't quite understand why she was feeling so cold. Goosebumps pricked her skin as she added a few more logs to the fire. What was wrong?

Startled by a knock at the door, Hermione hauled herself from the couch and made her way to the entrance. Turning the knob slowly she was surprised to see the man she had desired since her fourth year standing anxiously on the doormat. Before she could register anything more, he had stepped over the threshold, held her cheeks in his hands and kissed her gingerly.

Hermione was too shocked to kiss him back at first, but her head finally caught up with her racing heart and she returned it, wrapping her arms around his neck as the kiss intensified, Cedric all the more pulling her closer.

"Hermione," he breathed, pulling away. Hermione was too dazed to reply. "I'm staying."

"Bit demanding, aren't you?" Hermione replied, grinning and blushing shyly.

"No, I mean, I'm staying _for_ _good_," Cedric whispered, resting his forehead against hers.

"Oh," she said, realising what he meant. Then her lips curved into a wicked smile and she kissed his flushed cheek. "With me?"

"With you."

They embraced and stayed like that for a few minutes, one of Cedric's hands caressing Hermione's back and the other entangled in her curls. Hermione suddenly felt a rush of warmth spread throughout her body. She looked at the fireplace; the flames were gone.

_Stand the two up next to the other_

_Don't feel strange to me my lover_

**END**


End file.
